


Memories of Christmas Past

by carolej126



Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Gen, multiple au's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-07
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-19 13:56:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4748885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolej126/pseuds/carolej126
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally published in Magnificent Holidays 9 (Neon Rainbow Press, 2015)</p><p>Seven men, seven memories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memories of Christmas Past

Chris Larabee  
Vin’s eyes are closed now. He’s snoring softly. And there’s a smile on his face.  
Hard to believe that only ten minutes ago he and JD were practically bouncing off the walls in anticipation of Christmas morning.  
Adam used to do that, too, on Christmas Eve. One minute, wide awake, and the next, sound asleep.  
That last Christmas with Adam, well, I remember it like it was yesterday. But I’m not going to dwell on that. Not today.  
Because this little boy deserves my full attention, all of my love, and the very best Christmas I can give him.

Vin Tanner  
When I was little, Mama would snuggle me close while she read the Christmas story, and then we’d give each other presents. One time, I gave her some flowers that I’d picked, and she gave me an orange. It tasted so good!  
But I never thought much ‘bout Christmas, once I was on my own. I was usually trackin’ or huntin’, and after I got that bounty on my head, I had to keep moving, so the law didn’t catch up with me.  
Back then, Christmas was just another day.  
This year is different. 

Ezra Standish  
When I was seven, I believed that Santa would bring me a new bicycle.  
And upon awakening Christmas morning, raced to the living room alongside my younger cousins.  
But two bikes, not three, adorned the space beneath the tree. The packages that displayed my name held several books, and a new sweater.  
Aunt Becky must have seen my disappointment, despite my attempts to hide it.  
“You’ll understand this afternoon,” she whispered.  
I did.  
“There’s my sweet boy. Ready to go, Ezra?”  
Ten minutes later, I was back on the road, Aunt Becky’s tremulous smile only visible in the rearview mirror.

Buck Wilmington  
We were a couple months behind in rent, with a landlord who insisted that we pay or get out. There wasn’t anything my mom could do about it. A showgirl just can’t perform with a broken ankle.  
A few minutes before midnight, there was a knock on the door. We thought it was the landlord, coming to kick us out on Christmas Eve.  
But it wasn’t.  
Instead, we found an envelope.  
And inside that envelope, exactly the amount of money we needed.  
Never did find out who it was, but that year, we had our own Christmas angel.

JD Dunne  
I thought I was going to die. I’d been dragged from the surveillance van, kicking and screaming – okay, just kicking – and taken into a nearby warehouse. I knew the guys didn’t have a clue where I was. In fact, they didn’t even know I was in trouble.  
They slapped me around a bit, trying to find out exactly how much we knew. As if I was going to tell them. Yeah, right.  
I knew there was more pain to come…  
But, anyway, that was last year. This year, things are different.  
It’s Christmas again, and we’re all together.  
Seven strong.

Nathan Jackson  
As I watch Vin and JD getting ready for their parts in the Christmas pageant, I’m reminded of all the times I did the same thing.  
I think I’ve played them all: sheep, shepherds, wise men, and even baby Jesus. Of course, I don’t remember that last one!  
Vin’s all excited about being a shepherd this year. And JD, he just can’t wait to be a lamb.  
I’m kind of glad neither of them are playing the innkeeper. Knowing how tenderhearted those two boys are, there probably would have been room at the inn for Mary and Joseph! 

Josiah Sanchez  
I don’t recall my father ever preaching a message of hope. In his mind, there were no good tidings of great joy.  
Or good will toward men.  
Instead, he believed it was more important to warn about the consequences of sin than to proclaim the arrival of the One who would pay for those sins.  
Even on Christmas morning.  
But I am not my father. And today will be different.  
Today I will preach a message of hope, of joy, of good will.  
Fear not, instead of Fear.  
My father wouldn’t have approved.  
But I think God does.

 

~end~


End file.
